of HealthFit (formerly named Healthplex), completing a 5-year transition from Healthplex Associates, the management company that helped the health system create the region’s first medically oriented fitness center.

The fitness club, which opened in 2007 and now has more than 2,500 members, combines the latest high-tech fitness equipment and specialized exercise and rehabilitation programs with certified fitness and health professionals who work individually with members to meet their personal health, wellness and rehabilitation goals.

Members’ benefits won’t change, but the facility name has changed to HealthFit – Powered by Sarasota Memorial, and the health system plans to enhance its existing offerings with additional health, wellness and fitness programs.

“That’s what differentiates us from other gyms and fitness facilities,” said Kara Poulin, HealthFit’s new Operations Manager. “At HealthFit, we integrate personal health and wellness goals into our fitness, exercise and rehabilitation programs.”

Poulin says the newer, smarter, safer 360-degree fitness concept, often called medically integrated fitness, is a natural fit for Sarasota Memorial. The facility already offers all of the amenities of an upscale fitness center, personal training, and more than 50 classes a week. It will continue providing members’ favorite offerings, while tapping into Sarasota Memorial’s impressive depth and breadth of services. For example, its cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program is now helping hundreds of patients strengthen their heart and lung function and manage chronic lung and heart disease.

For more information, contact HealthFit at (941) 917-7000 or visit its webpage at: smhfit.com